How NOT to Get Screwed Over While Choosing the Best TEFL Course Online

Yes. You read that right. No. You don’t need your eyes checked. Over one thousand dollars.

And in the end, I not only paid way too much, but I almost got totally screwed out of my accredited certificate too!

Fortunately, I went on to teach English in Thailand and begin my career as a happy professional nomad. But it could have gone so much worse. Which is why I’m here to save your ass from making the same mistake, and to tell you about the best TEFL course online you can take.

Not only is this course cheap, it’s everything you need to become an English teacher abroad or online.

*ALSO* I have a discount code waiting for you at the bottom of this post as well! Making this a damn cheap online TEFL course.

You’re welcome!

What is a TEFL Course?

TEFL is the acronym most commonly used for Teaching English as a Foreign Language. In order to get reputable jobs in foreign countries as an English teacher, you must be accredited by a reputable school.

When I first began my journey several years ago, there simply was not the information available that we have today, and even today it is still hard to figure out who to trust. Because I get asked all the time how I did it, where I got my certificate, and what I would recommend, I am laying it all out for you.

Finding an Accredited Online TEFL Course

Yes. Accredited. Accredited means the school is recognized as reputable enough to teach you a course and hand you a certificate of completion of said course. You need that certificate.

It’s funny. It’s really not hard to get accredited as a TEFL school, but some schools still don’t, or can’t get the accreditation—You DON’T want to take a TEFL course online with them!

Take my advice, learn from my mistakes!

Unless you are solely seeking enrichment, don’t bother to take a cheap TEFL course from a school that’s not fully accredited and internationally recognized. Go for the legit certificate because it will be required by most schools abroad worth its merit, which means the ones that will pay you a living wage.

You’ll get extensive training through audio, video, and written communication. Remember that, like any other form of education, this is an investment in yourself and your future. It is the beginning of your English teaching career abroad.

It’s literally required that you take the 120-hour course as the other options are simply “refreshers” or for those with extensive experience already. If this isn’t you, you need the 120-hour course. This is also the course needed to obtain a work permit in most countries.

This course is what you need to teach English abroad and to students around the world.

Take the full TEFL course online, get certified, and then get out there and start your adventure.

Why take it online? It’s cheaper and much less taxing on your schedule. You can save money and time and get the exact same certificate.

My Recommendation For the Best TEFL Course Online

Since I was so irritated by the fact that I grossly overpaid for a company that turned out to be highly irresponsible, so irresponsible that it lost its accreditation shortly after I received my own certificate (and was still giving them out), I have since done extensive research.

I can’t believe this company had the audacity to continue giving out certifications after they lost their accredited status! I was so lucky they lost it AFTER I received my TEFL but others weren’t so lucky… Don’t forget, this course was over $1000!

After years of experience, of talking to others, grilling the manager of the company (yes, because I don’t f*ck around with what I recommend to you guys!) the best TEFL course online I have found is myTEFL.

I wish I knew about myTEFL earlier

Take the full 120-hour course; the price is dirt cheap for what you get, which is extensive training, full-time tech support, access to a plethora of resources and research materials, and the certificate that virtually every school around the world will accept.

myTEFL even helps with job placement after you’ve graduated.

Take any other course that doesn’t provide the certificate and that’s not accredited and internationally recognized and you mine as well just make a bonfire with your money.

A Cheap Online TEFL Course & Not Getting Screwed?

I know. I know. Especially if you are an American, you’re thinking, like we all do, you get what you pay for. You’re thinking you should take the more expensive course because you’ll get some big reputable company name or that dollars equal value received.

And quite often this concept is true.

But not here, not now, not with this course. You need the basic foundation to get you started on your English teacher adventures abroad, and you do not need to spend more than necessary. In fact, if you’re planning to follow in my highly active globetrotting footsteps, you’re gonna want to save as many pennies as you can.

Getting started with a life abroad is not cheap, and the last thing you want is to run out of money in a foreign country, TEFL certificate or not!

The fact is, most of these courses are pretty similar but no matter how much you pay, you get the same paper at the end of the day.

So, in reality, I actually paid more, didn’t get anything more, and nearly got screwed out of having a valid certification.

Uhm, yeah, thanks. I think I’ll just pay a few hundred bucks and get a legit certification from a trusted company, k thanks! If I had to do it all over again, I’d choose this course in a heartbeat.

myTEFL is cheap, it’s accredited, and it’ll get you what you need. Keep it simple.

Comparing Online TEFL Courses:

If you’re still suspicious, and you may not know me at all, so you think I might just be trying to sell you some raw deal, take a look at the comparison.

myTEFL – with this course you pay around $300 for 120 hours, tech support, a research library, accreditation, and intensive grammar and testing units. (Wait for it… It’s actually cheaper!)

TESOL Course– These guys have got a super cheap option! With way fewer resources and fewer hours of preparation. If you want anything on par with what you get through myTEFL, you’ll start paying above and beyond the $300 mark.

International TEFL Academy – The online course is almost $1500! That’s US dollars. No way. I don’t care how reputable a company is or how good the job placement. That’s too much money.

Teachaway – Even the budget option with Teachaway is $800, and you don’t even get 120 hours of training. If you want the full package, you’re gonna pay well over $1000. You don’t need the so-called “prestige,” nobody will care or notice!

Bridge– Bridge is a reputable company, for sure. And you can get everything with Bridge that you get from the cheap TEFL course online, at almost double the price. For what? A name. No way. In this case, I’m telling you, the name is not worth your hard earned money.

Online TEFL courses are far more practical.

Let’s just remember that while some of these names are great and I’m sure their courses are also amazing, you simply need the 120-hour course to be certified to teach English online or abroad.

That important certification is provided by all of the choices mentioned above. Most schools hiring abroad or online just want a certificate. They are not checking the name and the “prestige” that’s aligned with it.

Not Being Prepared Enough to Teach English Abroad

Some may argue that they want to pay more for better preparation. Well, I paid more and wasn’t prepared any more or less than everyone else teaching at my school. Yep, I literally didn’t feel an ounce more prepared than anyone else and here’s the shocker…

NONE of these online TEFL courses are going to really prepare you. Sure they will help with introducing you to teaching English, tips, lesson plan ideas, how to deal with certain situations, etc… You’ll learn a lot.

But make no mistake, nothing, and I mean, NOTHING will prepare you for walking into a classroom of 50 Thai high school students who barely know how to count in English or answer the question, “how are you.”

That was the situation I was thrown into and I had to figure out how to swim all on my own. The reality is, this situation will be just as foreign to you as the English language is to your students.

You’ll just have to jump off the deep end and figure things out for yourself. Nobody will expect you to be perfect and know what you’re doing on day 1.

This is where you’re just going to get up there, do your best, and get better as the days go on. No online course out there in the world can truly prepare you for your first class. And that’s why taking more courses and paying more money doesn’t matter.

I hope that last bit didn’t put you off because teaching English abroad is SO incredible and you’ll start loving it very quickly, it does take some getting used to though, just like any other job.

But let’s wrap this up, shall we? I have one last thing for you… and bit of a surprise!

I have a discount code for you—Code: nina35—making this course even cheaper!

Best of luck, future teacher! I owe everything to the opportunity I had teaching abroad and online. It’s why and how I’m still on the road. I might not be teaching anymore at this time but it’s what started it all for me and I’m forever grateful.

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Hello!

Hi, friend! My name is Nina Ragusa and I've been climbing volcanos, basking on exotic beaches, and dabbling in new cultures since 2011. I work abroad and remotely to support my adventure travel addiction. Follow along if you're interested in getting work abroad to travel more. Mission: Live and work on all continents.

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